Forecasts point to a 75 percent overall growth in the recycling of aluminium over the next decade. Hydro aims to increase recycling volume from 138,000 tonnes post-consumed scrap in 2016 to 250,000 tonnes in 2020.

Five percent of the energy

One of the benefits of recycling is that it requires only five percent of the energy used to produce new aluminium. In addition, the sources of raw materials are usually close to the market and to one of Hydro's eight remelting plants. This provides benefits such as reduced transport and has given rise to the term "urban mining."

Strong growth in recycling

﻿Globally, the amount of recycled aluminium grew by 225 percent, from 8 million tonnes in 1990 to 18 million tonnes in 2013. At the same time, total aluminium production increased by 200 percent. Forecasts from the Aluminium Institute (IAI) predict recycled scrap growing from about 18 million tonnes in 2013 to almost 31 million tonnes in 2020. Around 50 percent of the scrap used in recycling today is old scrap – scrap from products that have completed their use phase.

Strategic raw materials

"Scrap has become a strategic raw material. Hydro's role will be to take its share of the market as a leading integrated producer present throughout the value chain. Our position in the market, combined with commercial and technological expertise, will give us growth opportunities in recycling so we can help to reduce environmental emissions," says Scharf-Bergmann, head of Hydro's recycling operations.